Thursday, February 2, 2012

EAT YOUR WORLD

Have you heard of Eat Your World? It's a pretty new site, all intended towards eating locally, with user-submitted info and a blog. Looks and sounds interesting, but I'd love to see some more content, especially on its blog! There are some recipes and chef interviews right now, but it could grow a little more. (Who am I kidding, though? My blog needs to grow!)

I strive to support going local as often as possible. Sure, a chain is really convenient and brings costs down, but particularly with groceries / produce and restaurants, going local is so much more interesting and valuable.

What's interesting about going local? Think about a McDonald's, a Chipotle, or a Starbucks. I always know what I'm going to get. I've been there before, and the menus hardly ever change. (Although there are secret menus to explore!) Foods get boring pretty quick for me. Going local, though, I can order something fairly everyday, like a hamburger, and it will be different from one local place to another. I can also order something different, like a catfish burrito (shout out to Nook).

Now what's valuable about going local? First, when I go local, I'm supporting the local economy. My dollar does not go to corporate fat cats, and while I admire them for having made money, they don't need my contribution. Smaller businesses need it more.

Second, when I go local, I can go sketchy, cheap and local. Sure, I can get an okay-tasting crunch wrap taco at Taco Bell for 99 cents, but I can get a much tastier taco at a taco stand in a car wash for the same price. See, I'm paying for experience and quality at the sketchy stand, while I'm only paying for food at Taco Bell, which I've seen all too often.